Article Posted on : - Jan 29, 2012

NEW DELHI (PTI): Top global powers, including US, Russia, France and some of the friendly neighbours such as Bangladesh, will engage in wargames with the Indian army to learn from its over five decades of experience of counter terrorism and urban warfare operations.

The army will hold around 15 exercises this year with friendly foreign countries including the who's who in the global arena, army officials told PTI here.

The countries in immediate neighbourhood with which the army will conduct these joint training exercises include Bangladesh and Singapore.

The wargames with friendly foreign countries will be kicked-off with 'Bold Kurukshetra' with Singapore Army at Babina near Jhansi in March.

The two sides will field their mechanised forces in the training engagement.

The schedule and nature of exercises with other countries are yet to be decided, but anti-terrorism drills and urban warfare is going to be an important part of all of these war games, they said.

The army troopers will also engage the American mechanised forces in the deserts of Rajasthan in the exercise 'Yudh Abhyas' which will see the US fielding its tanks there.

The US had participated in exercise 'Yudh Abhyas-2009' with the Indian Army, when it had taken its Stryker infantry armoured vehicles outside of its operational area to a foreign land.

Indian Army has participated in the exercise with its mechanized infantry battalions.

Similar exercises are planned with the armies of France and Russia.

Last year in October, troops of Indian and French armies had conducted a joint exercise-'Shakti-2000' in the hills of Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.

The fourth round of 'INDRA' series of joint exercise between Indian and Russian armies was also conducted in 2010 in Uttarakhand.